Surprise: Library approves ‘small’ traffic study on DNR site

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
The Belleville Area District Library Board selected a bidder to do a “small” traffic study for the Belleville/Quirk Road intersection to prove the need for a traffic light at that corner if a library is built there.
But, the information that the board had even gone out for bids for a traffic study was news to at least one member of the board.
At the library board’s regular meeting on May 13, Treasurer Elaine Gutierrez expressed surprise at the item on the agenda.
“The rest of us didn’t know about it,” she said, but the other board members remained silent. Board secretary Joy Cichewicz was absent.
From the audience, Barbara Rogalle Miller asked if chairwoman Mary Jane Dawson went out for bids without approval of the board.
“I felt we needed a traffic study,” Dawson said.
Library attorney John Day said the board can vote it down if members don’t want it. He said there was no cost to go out for bids and they were “pro bono bids.”
He said the bidders bid on doing a small traffic study and he prepared the specifications.
Miller said she doesn’t know what “small” means in connection with a traffic study and Day said it was a category used by Wayne County.
John Delaney said from the audience that he gives a lot of credit to Gutierrez for speaking up. He said Dawson took charge and with legal counsel went out for bids, “ignoring you until the end.”
“Just your chairperson is on top of this … and the only comments are from the peanut gallery,” Delaney said.
(Miller challenged Delaney’s “peanut gallery” comment, saying she was the public asking a question. Delaney laughed and said he was the “peanut gallery.”)
Dawson then opened three sealed bids and the different prices and services were read aloud.
Board members Kris Brasil and Gutierrez asked for a copy of the bids so they could compare them, but got no copies. Dawson did give them the original Fleis and Vandenbrink bid to look at after it became the leading contender.
Library board member John Juriga said all three companies have the same agenda: “to determine effects of a stop light at the corner.”
“All work by the same playbook, with the same professional standards,” Day said.
Architect Dan Whisler said the study will justify the need for a traffic signal.
Juriga made a motion to go with Fleis and Vandenbrink of Grand Rapids, and Joe Monte seconded the motion, saying that bid was most cost-effective.
They changed the motion to read that the work is not to exceed $3,600.
Traffic counts will be collected 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. in each of three directions for 24 hours on a typical weekday. They also will review three years of crash data.
Whisler said in the call for bids, Day put the onus on the engineer to contact Wayne County with the results, since it will be the county that recommends whether or not traffic signals are needed there.
Whisler said Van Buren Township engineers Wade Trim said they will share their data.
“I only had one library project that required a traffic study,” Whisler said, noting it was in the $11,000-$12,000 range. “This is a ‘small’ study.”
Guitierrez asked why they don’t just look at the existing data.
Whisler said the VBT data isn’t for that part of Belleville Road. He said the traffic engineers will take a physical count, putting someone out there to count cars.
“Ultimately, Wayne County will decide if the study is done right,” Whisler said. “That’s why John [Day] had them speak to the township and county first. The duration of the count is dictated by the county.”
Phil Miller asked for the methodology of the bidding and was ignored.
“You need to act on this soon so it can be done,” Whisler said. “They think school being in makes a difference, but they do it all year-round.” He referred to people in the audience asking if it shouldn’t be done when school is in session.
Day responded to Phil Miller saying, “We asked engineering companies with traffic engineers on staff to bid. Five were contacted and three responded.”
Phil Miller asked if Day or Whisler had used the firm before and they said they hadn’t.
Mary Ban said the study is for traffic safety and Morin replied, “It’s just a traffic flow study.”
“It’s also about safety,” Day added.
Phil Miller asked if the traffic engineers were to present their report to the library board.
The report will go to Wayne County, Whisler said, although it will be sent to Day and Dawson, as well.
Whisler said there is no meeting with the township planning commission until a bond is passed and that would be “down the road.”
Phil Miller asked if there would be a time for public comment to the engineers and Whisler said there would be no public comments.
Whisler said all this is about whether a traffic light is warranted and the report ultimately will be sent to Wayne County.
At previous meetings Delaney had asked for a traffic study and was told there were no plans for a traffic study.
The email to engineering firms asking for bids on a “small” traffic study went out April 21.
The board had two special meetings since that date – on April 22 and May 1 – and no mention was made that the chairwoman had made a decision to go out for traffic study bids.
In other business at the May 13 meeting, the board:
• Set a public hearing on the amended and the proposed budgets for 7 p.m. June 10, during the next regular meeting;
• Heard Dawson say she turned the ballot language for the Aug. 5 election into the Wayne County Clerk’s office;
• Heard Dawson announce that she and Board member Morin went to the DNR public hearing on the Belleville site on May 8 and learned the DNR director will sign off on the purchase agreement for the DNR property and the board should be getting a copy shortly;
• Heard Gutierrez announce she would not be running for reelection in November. “We thank you, Elaine, for your good services,” said Barbara Miller from the audience. Brasil also said she didn’t want Gutierrez to leave the board;
• Heard Mary Ban ask if Sumpter Township could withdraw from the district library agreement and attorney Day said the state statute does allow a member to withdraw before the bond is passed. Ban, who had discussed the same subject at Sumpter’s meeting shortly before she arrived at the library meeting, said she didn’t know that until that evening. She was told if two municipalities withdrew by 2019, they would go back to the Fred C. Fischer Library. Library Director Deb Green said Sumpter could lose assets if they withdrew;
• Heard Juriga report the Methodist Church finally moved the paper recycling dumpter to the firehall site across the street. He said he has to get bids on the facia for the present library. He needs aluminum siding instead of painting, he said;
• Learned the Friends of the Library earned $350 at its recent book sale;
• Heard board member Michael Boelter say the board had its attorney do a lot of work on looking at alternate sites. The library sent questions to the city and waited 30 days and then 60 days and there were no answers. He said he doesn’t think the city wants the library to remain there. He said councilman Tom Fielder is the only one who didn’t say, “Keep the library in the city”;
• Heard Barbara Miller ask since the library has a big fund balance, she wondered when it will begin taping its meetings. She said she contacted both Van Buren and Sumpter townships and they said they would run the meeting tapes, gavel to gavel. Dawson said two members of the board were going to report on recording meetings. Brasil said she reported to the board and Juriga said to tell what the report was. Brasil just checked with the school district and found they could not provide her with a student to do the taping, but could provide her with a camera and could transfer the recording to a disk. Dawson then dismissed the matter and continued with her other comments.